We’ve long worried about plastic in our oceans and food, but now it’s the air that’s raising alarms — especially indoors, where most of us spend nearly all our time. A new study reveals we could be inhaling over 70,000 microplastic particles[...]
Section: Nature & Environment
News |
Two wildfire evacuations set to end, another begins in ongoing dry Prairie summer
After weeks—and in some cases, months—of smoke, evacuations, and uncertainty, some Prairie communities are finally seeing a glimmer of relief. Residents of Tataskweyak Cree Nation and Beauval are beginning their return home, grateful but cautious. Others, like those in Cormorant, are just[...]
News Release |
Smoke Moves In; Air Quality Alert Goes Out
BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality is actively monitoring Canadian wildfires, which are expected to affect air quality across the state in the coming days. Sensitive groups—such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, children, and[...]
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E.P.A. Says It Will Eliminate Its Scientific Research Arm
The Environmental Protection Agency is about to gut the very division that provides the research behind its own environmental safeguards. Hundreds of scientists — the chemists, toxicologists, and biologists who help us understand air, water, and chemical risks — are being shown[...]
Curio |
Shh … Listen: ‘Forest bathing’ study gets underway in Stockholm
Sometimes the best remedy for stress isn’t a screen or a prescription — it’s a walk in the woods. A new study in Stockholm is taking a closer look at “forest bathing,” a practice that began in Japan and encourages people to[...]
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Warming rivers prompt fishing restrictions in western Montana
Montana’s iconic rivers are feeling the strain this summer, and so are anglers. With drought deepening and water temperatures rising, officials have imposed early restrictions and closures across nearly two dozen rivers to protect vulnerable trout populations. These “hoot owl” closures, which[...]
News Release |
North Dakota DEQ Issues Wildfire Smoke Advisory
BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality is actively monitoring Canadian wildfires. Current forecasted weather conditions are expected to send smoke into North Dakota in the coming days, potentially affecting air quality across the state. Environmental Quality advises residents,[...]
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Defunct oil wells are a national problem. Finding them is the first step
Scattered across backyards, forests, and farmlands are the quiet remnants of America’s oil past—forgotten wells that leak gas and toxins into the air and water. They’re called orphan wells, and while over 100,000 have been found, experts say the real number could[...]
News Release |
Department of Environmental Quality to Host Online Forums on Sustainability Plan Progress
BISMARCK, N.D. – After hosting 24 community input meetings across North Dakota and holding dozens of additional stakeholder discussions, the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) has developed a draft framework of statewide sustainability strategies. The public is invited to review[...]
News |
As light pollution increases, West Texas works to protect the world’s largest ‘dark sky reserve’
In the Davis Mountains of West Texas, the stars still come out in full. At McDonald Observatory, under some of the darkest skies left in North America, families gather, telescopes turn skyward, and kids marvel at the Milky Way. This stretch of[...]
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Curio |
Western states step up to save their wetlands
The Supreme Court’s Sackett decision may have redefined what counts as a federally protected wetland—but it didn’t change what wetlands actually do. They still filter drinking water, buffer floods, and store massive amounts of carbon. Now, with federal protections slashed, it’s up[...]
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Malaysia will stop accepting U.S. plastic waste, creating a dilemma for California
Malaysia is closing its doors to U.S. plastic waste—and California, one of the top exporters, will feel the shift. Starting July 1, the country will block imports from nations that haven’t signed the Basel Convention, an international treaty on waste. The U.S.[...]
Curio |
Wisconsin Women in Conservation empowers women to restore prairies pollinators
June is National Pollinator Month and a local agricultural group which aims to empower women in conservation is bringing awareness to how prairie restoration can aid the declining population of bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Through its Wisconsin Women in Conservation program,[...]
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Emerald ash borer confirmed for the first time in four Minnesota counties
A tiny green beetle with a destructive appetite has reached another milestone in its relentless march across Minnesota. The emerald ash borer—an invasive insect that kills ash trees by burrowing under their bark—has now been confirmed in Wadena and four other counties,[...]
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Watch: How are the Ducks Doing in 2025? They’re Declining
North Dakota’s annual spring duck survey offers a sobering snapshot of the state’s changing wetlands. With May pond counts at their 52nd lowest in 78 years, waterfowl populations continue to fall. This year’s estimated breeding duck population sits at 2.66 million—down 9%[...]
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Roosevelt Park Zoo to Unveil New Giraffe Habitat on World Giraffe Day
Roosevelt Park Zoo will mark World Giraffe Day on Saturday, June 21, with the grand opening of its new African Plains Building — a year-round indoor habitat for the zoo’s giraffes. The 7,300-square-foot facility features natural flooring, expanded space for animal enrichment,[...]